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THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett
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THE MALTESE FALCON (original 1930; edition 1972)

by Dashiell Hammett

Series: Sam Spade

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
9,113279871 (3.89)640
Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. HTML:A coolly glittering gem of detective fiction that has haunted three generations of readers, from one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.
A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiel Hammett's iconic, influential, and beloved The Maltese Falcon..… (more)
Member:bks1953
Title:THE MALTESE FALCON
Authors:Dashiell Hammett
Info:New York: Vintage Books, pprbk., 229 pp.
Collections:Your library, Favorites
Rating:*****
Tags:Fiction

Work Information

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930)

  1. 100
    The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (InvisiblerMan)
  2. 102
    The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (Cecilturtle, TAir)
  3. 60
    Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (caflores)
  4. 30
    Spade & Archer by Joe Gores (Cecrow)
    Cecrow: Later prequel by another author
  5. 20
    The Maltese Falcon [Picador Film Classics Library] by Richard J. Anobile (bks1953)
  6. 22
    Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem (InvisiblerMan)
  7. 12
    Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry (lucien)
    lucien: A great modern take on the noir genre in comic form. Berry is successful at both weaving a solid noir tale and having some good fun with genre conventions.
  8. 12
    The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (PghDragonMan)
    PghDragonMan: The two detectives have a key trait in common: dogged pursuit of the truth and the truth has many twists along the way.
  9. 13
    The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (benmartin79)
  10. 02
    Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm (PghDragonMan)
    PghDragonMan: Dark detective fiction, both radical for their times.
1930s (44)
Read (86)
1920s (139)
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» See also 640 mentions

English (261)  Spanish (5)  Catalan (2)  Swedish (1)  Greek (1)  Italian (1)  French (1)  Hebrew (1)  Finnish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (275)
Showing 1-5 of 261 (next | show all)
"Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be. That kind of reputation might be good business. " The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett

Sam Spade is what most of the private detectives I worked with would like to have been and in their cockier moments thought they approached. Dashiell Hammett

I listened to a full cast reading of the book. Very good and it was only 3 hours & 15 minutes long.
  taurus27 | Nov 14, 2023 |
Brilliant. ( )
  everettroberts | Oct 20, 2023 |
A great private-eye story, the book as good or better than the film. ( )
  mykl-s | Aug 13, 2023 |
Great, classic mystery book ( )
  Acilladon | Jul 30, 2023 |
anticlimactic. ( )
  blueskygreentrees | Jul 30, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 261 (next | show all)
[I]t would not surprise us one whit if Mr. Hammett should turn out to be the Great American Mystery Writer. . . . In short, "The Maltese Falcon" is the best one, outside the . . . polite classes, in Lord knows when.
added by NinieB | editNew York Herald Tribune, Will Cuppy (Feb 23, 1930)
 
If the locution "hard-boiled" had not already been coined it would be necessary to coin it now to describe the characters . . . .
added by NinieB | editNew York Times (Feb 23, 1930)
 

» Add other authors (62 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hammett, Dashiellprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Angell, OlavTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Anobile, RichardEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dean, RobertsonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Drew, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dufris, WilliamNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Marber, RomekCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meier, RaymondCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meyers, EricNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Naujack, PeterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Prichard, MichaelNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ross, BurtNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rozen, GeorgeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wilson, MeganCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Dedication
To Jose
First words
Samuel Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth.
Quotations
The boy spoke two words, the first a short guttural verb, the second 'you'.
"People lose teeth talking like that." Spade's voice was still amiable though his face had become wooden. "If you want to hang around you'll be polite."
The boy repeated his two words.
Spade by means of his grip on the Levantine's lapels turned him slowly and pushed him back until he was standing close in front of the chair he had lately occupied. A puzzled look replaced the look of pain in the lead-colored face. Then Spade smiled. The smile was gentle, even dreamy. His right shoulder raised a few inches. His bent right arm was driven up by the shoulder's lift. Fist, wrist, forearm, crooked elbow, and upper arm seemed all one rigid piece, with only the limber shoulder giving them motion. The fist struck Cairo's face...
"I don't know where that damned bird is. You don't. She does. How in hell are we going to get it if I don't play along with her?"
Cairo hesitated, said dubiously: "You have always, I must say, a smooth explanation ready."
Spade scowled. "What do you want me to do? Learn to stutter?"
‘Who killed Thursby?’

Spade said: ‘I don’t know.’

Bryan rubbed his black eyeglass-ribbon between thumb and fingers and said knowingly: ‘Perhaps you don’t, but you certainly could make an excellent guess.’

‘Maybe, but I wouldn’t.’

The District Attorney raised his eyebrows.

‘I wouldn’t,’ Spade repeated. He was serene. ‘My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs Spade didn’t raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a District Attorney, an Assistant District Attorney, and a stenographer.’

‘Why shouldn’t you, if you’ve nothing to conceal?’

‘Everybody,’ Spade responded mildly, ‘has something to conceal.’

‘And you have – ?’

‘My guesses, for one thing.'
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. HTML:A coolly glittering gem of detective fiction that has haunted three generations of readers, from one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.
A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiel Hammett's iconic, influential, and beloved The Maltese Falcon..

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Book description
Haiku summary
Yes, I'm guilty, but
I'll get free with female wiles.
Whoops, need a Plan B.

(Carnophile)

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